Arka Nidhi
An IIHR variety bred with bacterial-wilt resistance — valuable where wilt is a problem.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 150–160 days
- Seed rate
- 400 g per hectare as an open-pollinated variety
- Expected yield
- High
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to bacterial wilt
- Release
- Released by ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru. The exact notification year was not found
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Arka Nidhi (also released under the code BWR-12) is an ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru brinjal variety bred by crossing Dingras Multiple Purple with Arka Sheel. IIHR's own variety pages describe a tall, compact plant with dark-green leaves that have purple bases and purple veins when young, and deep purple-green stems, bearing medium-length fruits in clusters. The fruit itself has blue-black, glossy skin with a green-purple calyx, stays tender with slow seed maturity, and carries no bitter principle. IIHR states it matures in 150 days and yields 48–48.5 t/ha (the two IIHR pages give slightly different decimal figures), and confirms resistance to bacterial wilt.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Arka Nidhi if bacterial wilt has cost you a brinjal crop before. IIHR's own variety pages confirm its wilt resistance — the strongest documented claim of any brinjal compared here — and that alone can save a field where other varieties collapse. It is also the heaviest of the six, ahead of Pusa Hybrid 6 at 45 t/ha and Arka Kusumakar at 40, and unlike the hybrid you are not buying seed again next year. The fruit is blue-black and glossy in clusters, tender, slow to set seed and free of bitterness. IIHR lists no states beyond Karnataka, so ask your KVK before planting it elsewhere. Choose Arka Kusumakar for small green fruit, or Pusa Purple Long in the northern plains.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeDecember–January or May–June
- Seed rate400 g per hectare as an open-pollinated variety
- Spacing60 cm between ridges
- Sowing methodNursery beds prepared with 10 kg farmyard manure, 1 kg neem cake and 100 g enriched superphosphate per square metre; sow in lines 10 cm apart and transplant at 30–35 days
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained soil rich in organic matter
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Bacterial-wilt resistance confirmed directly on two independently reachable IIHR variety pages, not just repeated by secondary sources
- Tender fruit with slow seed maturity and no bitter principle, valued for table quality alongside the disease resistance
- High reported yield (48–48.5 t/ha per IIHR's own pages) achieved within a 150-day cycle
Things to consider
- IIHR's own two variety pages give slightly different yield figures for the same variety — 48 t/ha on one, 48.5 t/ha on the other — a minor internal inconsistency rather than a conflict with an outside source
- The state list above follows IIHR, which records Arka Nidhi as recommended for central release in Zone 7 (Madhya Pradesh excluding the eastern area, and Maharashtra) and Zone 8 (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala). IIHR gives no release or notification year.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
- Tamil Nadu
- Kerala
- Maharashtra
- Madhya Pradesh
Where wilt resistance earns its money
Bacterial wilt is a soil-borne disease with no spray cure, so a variety bred to resist it is worth most in exactly the field where other brinjals have collapsed. Arka Nidhi's wilt resistance is stated on IIHR's own variety pages, not just repeated by seed sellers.
Two practical notes. First, resistance to wilt is not resistance to everything: shoot and fruit borer, mites, little leaf and fruit rot still need scouting and management, so plan for those. Second, do not stop rotating. Even a resistant variety sits in soil whose bacterial load keeps rising if you plant brinjal, tomato, chilli or potato in the same plot year after year, and the next crop you grow there may not be resistant. Keep the beds raised, pull out any wilted plant you do see, and keep a rotation going.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Brinjal (Eggplant) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Kusumakar | Small green clustered brinjal for south Indian cooking, on clean land | 140–150 days from transplanting | 400 q/ha (40 t/ha) | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Nidhithis page | Wilt-prone fields that still need a heavy purple brinjal crop | 150–160 days | High | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh |
| Arka Shirish | Extra-long green brinjal for a market that wants that type | 140–150 days | High | Karnataka |
| Pusa Hybrid 6 | Round purple brinjal for autumn-winter, picked early | 150–170 days | High | Maharashtra |
| Pusa Kranti | North Indian spring or autumn crop of thick, less-seeded purple fruit | 70–75 days from transplanting | 140–160 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi |
| Pusa Purple Long | The familiar long purple brinjal of the northern plains | 70–80 days from transplanting | 250–300 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Brinjal (Eggplant) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Brinjal (Eggplant) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Brinjal (Eggplant) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Brinjal (Eggplant) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Brinjal (Eggplant) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Brinjal (Eggplant) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Brinjal (Eggplant) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Arka Nidhi's fruit like?
Blue-black, glossy-skinned fruit with a green-purple calyx, per IIHR's own variety page — tender, with slow seed maturity and no bitter principle.
What is Arka Nidhi's parentage?
A cross of Dingras Multiple Purple with Arka Sheel, developed by the pedigree method, per IIHR's own variety page.
Does Arka Nidhi resist bacterial wilt?
Yes. IIHR's own variety pages confirm it.
Is BWR-12 a different variety from Arka Nidhi?
No — BWR-12 is IIHR's own breeding code for Arka Nidhi; both names refer to the same release on IIHR's official pages.
What yield does Arka Nidhi give?
IIHR's variety pages report about 48 to 48.5 t/ha within a 150-day maturity cycle, which fits the "High" yield rating.
Does wilt resistance mean I can plant brinjal on the same field every year?
No. Resistance lowers the loss; it does not clear the bacterium from the soil, and continuous brinjal builds up the pressure until even a resistant variety suffers. Keep a rotation away from brinjal, tomato, chilli and potato, and keep the field well drained.
Is the fruit good enough for a table market, or only for yield?
Both. IIHR describes blue-black glossy skin with a green-purple calyx, tender flesh, slow seed maturity and no bitter principle, which is exactly what the table trade grades on. Slow seed maturity also means the fruit stays usable a little longer if a picking is delayed.
Can I grow Arka Nidhi outside Karnataka?
IIHR gives no recommended states beyond its Bengaluru base, so only Karnataka is listed here. Farmers elsewhere do plant IIHR brinjals, but ask your KVK for local trial results and start with one plot before you give it the whole field.
How much Arka Nidhi seed do I need per hectare?
400 g per hectare as an open-pollinated variety. That is several times what a hybrid needs, but the seed costs far less and you can keep your own from a healthy, isolated plot.
When should I sow Arka Nidhi?
Sow the nursery in December–January or May–June and transplant onto ridges 60 cm apart. On wilt-prone land, the ridge is not decoration: it keeps the collar of the plant out of standing water, which is where wilt usually takes hold.
Sourced from: Brinjal - Arka Nidhi — ICAR-IIHR official variety page, Brinjal - Arka Nidhi (BWR-12) — ICAR-IIHR official variety page, Crop Production Guide (Horticulture), TNAU and Department of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu: brinjal nursery preparation, seed rate, season, transplanting and spacing. editorial policy.